


Talk

by WakeUpDreaming



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Family, Future Fic, Gen, Growing Up, Teenagers, parenting, real talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 12:58:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11624031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakeUpDreaming/pseuds/WakeUpDreaming
Summary: Their daughter is on the couch, looking sadder than they've seen. Happy sends Toby in to help.





	Talk

**Author's Note:**

> For a very kind anon on tumblr <3

Toby and Happy look into the living room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible while in a hallway clearly visible from the couch.

“You should talk to her,” Happy says. “I don’t know how to do this part.”

“You sure?” Toby asks. “I mean, technically, I’m not supposed to know she has a crush on that boy.”

“It’s looking more past tense now, Doc,” Happy sighs. “Just - go talk to her. You can be all shrinky about it. I’ll be too blunt.”

“I’ll do my best.”

With a kiss to Happy’s forehead, Toby walks into the living room where Grace is curled up on the couch, in the tiniest, most miserable little ball that he’s ever seen.

“Whatcha watching?” he asks. He sits next to her lightly. She doesn’t respond. “Hey, kiddo. Not gonna talk to your dad?”

Grace turns to him, eyes sad. The echo of tears, haphazardly wiped away, rests on her cheeks. “I’m okay.”

“Oh, my darling, darling girl,” Toby sighs. He gets comfortable. “I’ve heard that a million times from you and ten million times from your mother. Let’s get real now – it’s never true when you guys say it like that. Your smile isn’t as bright as it used to be. What’s up?”

She shrugs, then points to the television screen, too bright in the room. “Just watching. It’s a sad movie.”

“You’re watching Deadpool,” Toby says.

“He has cancer,” Grace argues, “that’s sad, okay?”

“Yes, but – Grace, what’s really going on?” Toby pauses the movie. “Talk to me.”

She turns to him. “Nothing’s – I’m just.” She closes her eyes, looking frustrated. “Dad, I should be talking to Mom right now, okay?”

He blinks. “Why?” He chances a glance over to Happy, who shrugs and then ducks behind the wall when she realizes Grace can see her.

Grace stares at him. “This is why I talk to Aunt Paige. Neither of you are good at this kind of stuff.”

“What stuff?”

With an eye roll, Grace ducks down into her bag. For a split second, Toby has this weird image that she’s about to whip out a Milky Way like she did that one time she stole it from the grocery store when she was five. Instead, she pulls out a tampon.

Toby knows he should say something in response. He knows he should explain this all, should say something about the natural changes or whatever. Tell her he’s here for her if she has any questions or concerns.

Instead, he just stares at Grace’s hand. “Huh?”

Another eye roll, looking unbelievably like her mother, and she drops it back into her bag. “Guys, and, yes, I say guys, because I know Mom’s hovering in the kitchen like a weirdo, but guys. I’m fine. I just don’t have a television in my room because _somebody_ ,” she looks in the direction of the kitchen, where Toby knows Happy is pretending she’s not hearing this, “won’t let me have one.”

“You have to earn it,” Happy replies. “We’ve talked about this.”

“If you can hear,” Grace says, voice a singsong, “just come in the room.”

Happy walks just far enough in to lean on the door frame. “Do you need me to get you anything?”

Grace shakes her head. “Aunt Paige and I went after school yesterday when she picked me up.”

“I think I’m missing something,” Toby says. “This isn’t about that boy you like?”

“Mom!” Grace squeaks. “You told him?!”

“He guessed,” Happy replies, nodding toward Toby. “You know him.”

Grace turns to Toby. “This is why I need a TV in my room. We’d all be a lot more comfortable right now if I wasn’t stuck talking about PMS and you didn’t catch me crying over a superhero movie. I’m fine.”

Toby knows she’s right. But all he can think is that she’s only thirteen, and that he didn’t even know…any of this.

“You can watch on my tablet in your room,” Happy says, handing it to Grace. “And you can grab some of that secret stash in my office.”

Grace’s eyes light up, that smile back on her face. “Awesome!”

“Secret – what?” Toby watches as Grace darts off into the kitchen, rummages for something, and then walks into her bedroom with a new spring in her step. “What just happened?”

“You and I totally read the situation wrong, and we need to make sure our kid talks to us more than to Paige,” Happy replies. “And I thought I told you she’d gotten her period.”

Toby shakes his head. “That one slipped your mind.”

Happy shrugs. “I mean, it only happened a couple of months ago.”

“You forgot for a couple of months?!” Toby exclaims.

“This is why she didn’t tell you,” Happy says, folding her arms. “Because you make a big deal out of literally everything.”

“I do not!”

Happy sighs, and Toby knows that look. “She stepped on a tack two weeks ago and you took her to the doctor’s for a tetanus shot and took notes on the healing process for two days.”

He considers it. “You may have a point there.”

Happy sits down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re a great dad,” she says, “but you need to chill out.”

“Yeah.”

“And soon,” Happy adds, “because you’re the one giving The Talk to Jack.”

Toby falls against the back of the couch. “At least I’ve got another four years for that one.”


End file.
